Game board



Dec. 13, 1932. C L SHARP 1,890,950

GAME BOARD Filed March 51, 1932 Y, l l o o o o o 1o 1; o o o o \o oo o @o o o o oo o D o 0 o 0 o o o o@ goo L4 o o@ o: 1 5 o@ l o o 19 o imo! .l1 l

'n l/AVI INVENTOR 1395 @high/7g Patented Dec. 13, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CHARLES L. SHARP, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TOv I. T. SHARP GAME BOARD Application filed March 31, 1932. Serial No. 602,230.

My invention relates to game boards, and more particularly to those of the type wherein balls are thrown or rolled, and caused to enter various defined stations or locations.

One object of my invention is to provide a game board of the character referred to wherein the balls or other scoring elements are operated upon in any improved manner.

Another object of my invention is to provide an arrangement whereby the balls may be ejected onto the field of play, one or more at a time, as desired.

Still another object of my invention is to provide a game structure of such form that the balls can be played and returned to their starting points without the necessity of handling the same.

A further object of my invention is to provide an arrangement whereby a seriesy of balls may be supported in their starting positions, and ejected, one-by-one, or two-by-two or more, to the field of play.

Some of the forms which my invention may take are shown in the accompanying drawing, wherein Figure 1 is a plan view of the game board; Fig. 2 is a view thereof, partially in side elevation and partially in section; Fig. 3 is a sectional plan view of a portion of the board, on an enlarged scale; Fig. 4 is a sectional view in side elevation of the structure of Fig. 3, and Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4, but showing a modification.

The structure includes a base board 6 which serves as a playing field and which is pro-'- vided with marginal flanges or strips 7, 8, 9 and 10, that project a sufficient distance above the board to confine the balls. A guide strip or barrier 11 is positioned on the upper portion of the board which is normally supported in inclined position bylegs 12.

Balls which are thrown against the guide strip 11 will, by reason of the inclined position of the board, roll down against pins 13 which are distributed about the board in various positions. Certain of the pins form pockets as at 14, 15 and 16 into whichballs will at times enter. Recesses or depressions 17 are provided at various points for receiving the balls at times. The various pockets 14 to 17 will be suitably numbered in order to provide a system of scoring points.

The rail 18 is secured to the board in spaced relation to the side rail 9 to provide a runway 19 for the balls 20. A spring housing 21 is positioned at the lower end of the run-way 19 and has wing portions 22 which are secured to the board. The lower end of the housing 21 extends into a hole through the side of the lower marginal strip 10 and it encloses a spring 23. A plunger 24 extends through the housing and has an enlarged forward end 25 against which the upper end of the spring 23 abuts, the lower end of the spring seating against the lower end of the housing. The spring tends to maintain the plunger 24 in projected position as shown in Fig. 3, a collar or flange 26 on the plunger serving to limit forward movement thereof.

When the enlarged end 25 of the plunger 70 is drawn intothe housing 21, an ejector ball 28 'will roll down to the end of the housing, so that when the plunger 24 is released by the player, the ejector ball will be thrown upwardly by the plunger. A stop plate having a flange 29 is secured to the bottom of the runway 19, such flange serving to limit movement of the ejector ball 28, without preventing said ball from impinging against thelowermost ball 20. A cover plate 31 overlies the lower part of the runway 19 and the ball 28, to prevent said ball kfrom accidentally -jumping out of its path. A hole 32 is provided in the cover plateso that additional balls may be inserted t0 supplement the ball 28, for a reason to be hereinafter explained.

The spring 23 is so Icalibrated that when the plunger is drawn to fully retracted position and then released, the spring would have sufficient force to throw the ball 28 with considerable force against the guide strip 11, if the flange 29 and the balls 20 were omitted.

In playing the game, the balls 20 may be placed in the runway 19, either manually or by merely raising the lower end of the game board, then tilting the same to the right, and then lowering said end, to cause the balls to roll from the strip 1l into the runway. When the balls are all positioned as shown in Fig. 1, play is begun by drawing the plunger 24 10 downwardly and releasing the same. Im act by the ball 28 will cause the uppermost all 20 to be ejected from the runway. The remaining balls will then be ejected by repeat? ing the operation of pulling back and releasing the plunger, the inertia of the ball 28 be- .ing sufficient only to e'ect the ejection of one ball 20 at a time, no matter how many or how few of the balls 20 remain in the runway.

If for example two balls 28 be employed, then two balls 20 would be ejected from the runway upon each actuation of the plunger.

Referring to F ig. 5, I show a structure wherein the housing 21a which corresponds somewhat to the housing 2l is extended to enclose the ball 28, the forward end of the housing being cut away to permit the lowermost ball 20 to extend into the housing suiiciently far to receive the impact of the ball 28. The opening is not of sufficient size to permit any of the balls to pass entirely through it.

I claim as my invention 1. The combination with a runway, of a I plunger mounted at the lower end of the runway, an ejector ball normally having engagement with said plunger and movable into engagement with playing balls contained in said runway, and means in said runway for limiting forward travel of the ejector ball.

2. The combination with a runway, of a plunger mounted at the lower end of the runway, an ejector ball normally having engagement with said plunger and movable into engagement with playing balls contained in said runway, and means in said runway for limiting forward travel of the ejector ball, the said means serving as a stop for limiting movement of the playing balls toward the said plunger.

3. The combination with a runway for balls normally disposed in inclined position, of a plunger located at the lower end of said runway, and an ejector element interposed between playing balls contained in said runway Aand the said plunger, and means for maintaining the lowermost playing ball at a' predetermined distance from said plunger.

4. The combination with a runway normally disposed in inclined position, and adapted to contain balls, of a plunger located at the lower end of said runway, anejector element interposed between playing balls contained in said runway and the said plunger, and means for maintaining said playing balls at a predetermined distance from said plunger and for limiting the distance which the said ejector element may move away from the said plunger.

In testimony whereof I, the said CHARIES L. SHARP have hereunto set my hand.

CEAS. L. SHARP. 

